Tiger Woods underwent fusion surgery on his right ankle Wednesday morning to relieve arthritis caused by a broken bone, casting questions on whether he will play any more majors this year.
Woods announced the operation on Twitter, stating that it was a subtalar fusion procedure to treat post-traumatic arthritis caused by a talus fracture in February 2021.
“He’s resting now and will start the recovery process,” said Mark Steinberg, his agent at Excel Sports, over the phone.
According to Steinberg, woods underwent surgery in New York and has now returned to his home near Jupiter, Florida, to begin rehabilitation.
When Woods could return to golf, Steinberg replied there was “no timetable on this.”
“The first goal is to recover and lead a much more enjoyable day-to-day life,” he explained.
In February 2021, Woods’ SUV fell off a suburban coastal Los Angeles road at roughly 85 mph and tumbled down the side of a hill, shattering many bones in his right leg and ankle. According to Woods, the injuries were so severe that physicians considered amputation.
As a result of the vehicle accident, Woods has undergone many surgeries on his leg. The ankle has been the source of most of his issues recently, including a perceptible limp when he competed in four of the last five majors, most recently the Masters two weeks ago.
When Woods could return to golf, Steinberg replied there was “no timetable on this.”
The talus is the second-largest bone in the tarsus group, which forms the lower half of the ankle joint and transfers body weight from the lower leg to the foot. The subtalar joint enables the side-to-side mobility required for walking, particularly on rough terrain.
According to most estimations, healing from subtalar fusion takes eight to twelve weeks. That would rule out the PGA Championship next month, which will be held at Oak Hill in Rochester, New York, and is expected to be frigid.
The United States Open will be held June 15-18 at Los Angeles Country Club, and the British Open will be held three months later (July 20-23) at Royal Liverpool in England.
Woods made an unlikely comeback 14 months after the automobile accident to play in the Masters, walking 72 holes. Despite withdrawing after three rounds of the PGA Championship last year and in the middle of the rain-delayed Masters this year, he only missed one cut – the British Open at St. Andrews last summer.
Woods cited plantar pain for his retirement from the Masters.
Woods cited plantar pain for his retirement from the Masters, where he tied a record with his 23rd cut. Plantar pain was also given as a reason for his withdrawal from the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas in December, which he said was caused by working too hard to prepare for the event.
At the Masters, Jason Day stated that Woods informed him that the cause for his withdrawal from the PGA Championship last year “was a screw went through the skin.”
Woods previously underwent five back operations. This includes lower spine fusion surgery, which allowed him to return to play. He won the Tour event in 2018, the Masters in 2019 for his 15th major event, and the Zozo Championship in Japan in the autumn of 2019, tying Sam Snead’s career record of 82 PGA Tour titles.
In multiple interviews, he stated that the issue is not hitting shots but walking to the next one. Woods has also stated that his schedule will be limited to the majors and possibly others, such as the 36-hole PNC Championship with his son, where he can ride on a cart.
SOURCE – (AP)
